Education in Faith
Invitation - Senior School Passion Play
The Senior School Passion Play will be presented next Wednesday (1st April) in the school playground. Everyone is most welcome to join any class as the students watch the play. The first scene is located at the steps into the hall. Each class moves from one scene to the next - one class at a time. The classes will start at the first scene in 2-3 minute intervals between 8.50am and 9:05am. This year the events depicted come from Matthew’s Gospel and so the students have been researching information about this Gospel and the author.
Feedback from students and parents who have come and watched this play has always been extremely positive so I encourage you to stay after drop-off and enjoy the play.
Catholic Education Week
Last Friday (20 March) the school captains and RE/School Parliament Student Leadership Team for Semester 1, represented Our Holy Redeemer at the Mass of St Patrick for Schools at St Patrick’s Cathedral and the concert in the Treasury Gardens. This event is one of the highlights of Catholic Education Week.
Catholic Education Week is celebrated in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne from 15-22 March 2026.
This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools everyday. The theme for this year’s celebrations was, “Christ beside me: Walking in the footsteps of Saint Patrick”.
This year’s theme celebrates the significance of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of our local Church in Melbourne. Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, our mother Church, is named after the saint of Ireland. Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for all Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne to celebrate their Catholic identity, the pivotal role they play within their local community and the strength of the sector.
Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and walk the way of the gospel to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society. There are 335 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne that educate around 150,000 students and employ more than 20,000 teachers and staff.
Project Compassion
Project Compassion, Caritas Australia’s annual fundraising and awareness-raising appeal, brings thousands of Australians together in solidarity with the world's poor to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. The theme this year is ‘Unite Against Poverty ’
The RE Leaders, have signed OHR up on Caritas’ website and are planning a few things. Firstly, they have again decided that they want to give everybody a chance to see the staff of OHR dunked with icy cold water.
In order to do this, they have set the students a challenge. The challenge is to show some initiative and organise a fundraiser to raise as much money as they can for Project Compassion. They can do this by themselves, with their family or a group of friends. It might be as simple as asking family and friends for donations or a much bigger idea - whatever they like.
Last year, for every $300 we raised as a school, another staff member got dunked. This year, we have a few extra volunteers, so when we raise $250, the first staff member is added to the dunk list, when we get to $500 the next one goes on the list and so on.
We did a draw at assembly last week and the dunk list is as follows:
$250 - Mr Byrne
$500 - Mrs Pettinato
$750 - Mrs Jackson
$1,000 - Mrs Mitchell
$1,250 - Mrs Gill
$1,500 - Mrs Hollow
$1,750 - Ms Mackay
$2,000 - Mr Gulavin
$2,250 - Mrs Hansen
$2,500 - Mrs Hautot
$2,750 - Ms Dening
$3,000 - Fr Sang
$3,250 - Mr Dame
To make donations, simply click the link below.
If you get cash donations, you might be able to give the cash to your parents and they donate that amount online. The last date to donate money will be the first day of Term 2, Monday 20th April.
The second event the students at OHR will complete is to show solidarity with some of the people we are fundraising for. All students at OHR will undertake the Big Water Walk with their buddies. This involves walking around our school while carrying large buckets of water. This will take place on Monday 30th March which is the last Monday of this Term.
Finally, the money raised will be combined with the money in the Project Compassion boxes as well as what the RE Leaders have raised from selling zooper doopers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They will stop selling these at the end of this term.
Thank you and don’t forget, we all need to “Unite Against Poverty” this Lent.
End of Term One - Whole School Mass
We will be having a Whole School Mass to celebrate the end of Term One tomorrow (27th March). This will be at 9.00am in the OHR Church and everybody is most welcome to join us.
Rite of Christian Initiation of Children
Invitation for Primary School Families. Does your child want to become a Catholic?
The parish is offering a Rite of Christian Initiation of Children (RCIC) for primary school–aged children. See flyer below.
Sacramental Dates for 2026
Please see the letter from the Parish linked below in regards to Sacramental dates for 2026. Further details can be found on the Parish website.
Nick Byrne
RE Leader
RE Learning in 1/2GK
In 1/2GK, we have been learning about the sacred season of Lent and the important events leading up to it. We explored how Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, a time of prayer, fasting, and trust in God. In the Gospel, we read: “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Matthew 4:1), where He prepared for His mission.
The children showed deep compassion and concern for Jesus during this time, wondering how He felt, what He ate, and how He stayed strong. These wonderings helped us to reflect more deeply on Jesus’ faith and courage. We also learned that even when Jesus was tempted, He remained faithful to God, reminding us of the scripture: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
Sunday Gospel
The liturgy of the Catholic Church provides a framework for reflection which is used by Catholics throughout the world. Each week in the Newsletter, you will find the Sunday Gospel as well as some discussion questions to have with your child/ren.
The passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, the governor, and the governor put to him this question, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus replied, ‘It is you who say it.’ But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders he refused to answer at all. Pilate then said to him, ‘Do you not hear how many charges they have brought against you?’ But to the governor’s complete amazement, he offered no reply to any of the charges.
At festival time it was the governor’s practice to release a prisoner for the people, anyone they chose. Now there was at that time a notorious prisoner whose name was Barabbas. So when the crowd gathered, Pilate said to them, ‘Which do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For Pilate knew it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over.
Now as he was seated in the chair of judgement, his wife sent him a message, ‘Have nothing to do with that man; I have been upset all day by a dream I had about him.’
The chief priests and the elders, however, had persuaded the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus. So when the governor spoke and asked them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release for you?’ they said ‘Barabbas’. ‘But in that case,’ Pilate said to them ‘what am I to do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said, ‘Let him be crucified!’ ‘Why?’ he asked ‘What harm has he done?’ But they shouted all the louder, ‘Let him be crucified!’ Then Pilate saw that he was making no impression, that in fact a riot was imminent. So he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd and said, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your concern.’ And the people, to a man, shouted back, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’ Then he released Barabbas for them. He ordered Jesus to be first scourged and then handed over to be crucified.
The governor’s soldiers took Jesus with them into the Praetorium and collected the whole cohort around him. Then they stripped him and made him wear a scarlet cloak, and having twisted some thorns into a crown they put this on his head and placed a reed in his right hand. To make fun of him they knelt to him saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head with it. And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the cloak and dressed him in his own clothes and led him away to crucify him.
On their way out, they came across a man from Cyrene, Simon by name, and enlisted him to carry his cross. When they had reached a place called Golgotha, that is, the place of the skull, they gave him wine to drink mixed with gall, which he tasted but refused to drink. When they had finished crucifying him they shared out his clothing by casting lots, and then sat down and stayed there keeping guard over him.
Above his head was placed the charge against him; it read: ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’ At the same time two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.
The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads and said ‘So you would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days! Then save yourself! If you are God’s son, come down from the cross!’ The chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him in the same way. ‘He saved others,’ they said ‘he cannot save himself. He is the king of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He put his trust in God; now let God rescue him if he wants him. For he did say, “I am the son of God.”’ Even the robbers who were crucified with him taunted him in the same way.
From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ When some of those who stood there heard this, they said, ‘The man is calling on Elijah,’ and one of them quickly ran to get a sponge which he dipped in vinegar and putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink. ‘Wait!’ said the rest of them ‘and see if Elijah will come to save him.’ But Jesus again crying out in a loud voice, yielded up his spirit.
At that, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked; the rocks were split; the tombs opened and the bodies of many holy men rose from the dead, and these, after his resurrection, came out of the tombs, entered the Holy City and appeared to a number of people. Meanwhile the centurion, together with the others guarding Jesus, had seen the earthquake and all that was taking place, and they were terrified and said, ‘In truth this was a son of God.’
Discussion Questions
1. Who are the people who love you?
2. What special things do they do for you?
3. Jesus suffered and died because he loved us. How can we show God’s love to others?
4. Sunday is the beginning of a special week of celebrations. How can we participate in Holy Week?